The World has Turned and Left Me Here
by Saiyagal
Summary: What would happen if Harry Potter defeated Voldemort, but died during the battle? However, unknown to everyone, Harry became immortal instead. Read - it gets better! I promise!


A/N: Hi, I'm Saiyagal! I usually write anime, but I wrote this story for my sister, who is an avid Highlander fan. We were talking once, discussing what might happen in the seventh book of Harry Potter, when Katie concieved of an idea which combined HP with Highlander. And so this was born! Updates might take a while, because it's not yet finished, but it'll eventually end. Read! Review! Enjoy!  
  
Synopsis: The final showdown between good and evil has finally arrived. To save Hogwarts - and pretty much the whole world - Harry sacrifices himself in a dangerous spell that completely destroys the Dark Lord. But what's this? Shouldn't Harry be dead.?  
  
Ch 1: Back to the Burrow  
  
"Harry, are you in there?"  
  
Harry Potter gave a start and stared at his best friend Ron Weasly, for a moment unsure as to why he was so jumpy. Then he remembered what had happened over the summer, and he shuddered all over again.  
  
Voldemort had caught up with Harry at last. Since he'd been staying at Hogwarts that summer - Dumbledore had decided it would be safer, since Dark activities had been going up at an alarming rate - the teachers and the Death Eaters had engaged in a huge battle for control of the school, while he and Dumbledore had faced Voldemort. But because of Priori Incantatum, the Dark Lord's spell had been completely disabled. And Harry's had worked.sort of.  
  
The spell Harry used was a very rare, hard-to-work one called "Infinity Eradication". It worked by using the will of the spell caster to completely "eradicate" the soul of the victim, by eliminating his past, present, and future self from the plane of existence. The downside was that it tended to kill both duelers, which was what had happened during the battle. It erased Voldemort from existence, but it had also hit Harry. Both had died.  
  
That was why Harry was so confused. Because, you see, he hadn't STAYED dead. He vaguely remembered seeing his parents smiling at him and a pearly gate surrounded by angels and the spirits of those that have departed from earth, and then from among this mass his father approached him.  
  
"You did the right thing, Harry," he'd said, hugging him. "Your mother and I are very proud of you, and we both wish you could stay here for us. You can't die, Harry, so this should be the last time I see you. But know that, no matter what happens, we'll always love you."  
  
Then his vision blurred, and gone black. The next thing he knew, someone was gently shaking him awake, and he'd opened his eyes to see the worried face of Albus Dumbledore.  
  
"Harry, heLLOOO!" Ron shook his head. "Honestly, you've gotten so bloody shallow since the fight with You-Know-Who-"  
  
"Voldemort, Ron. Not 'You-Know-Who', Voldemort."  
  
Ron shuddered. "I don't care if he's dead. What if his followers-"  
  
"They won't," Harry answered, sighing. "Dumbledore made sure all the Death Eaters were rounded up this time, not just the ones who couldn't lie or cheat their way out of Azkaban."  
  
"But you never know, do you? I mean, it's possible, isn't it?"  
  
Hermione Granger walked into the room and noticed the dark mood of the conversation. "A bit depressing for what's left of the holidays, huh?" she said lightly. She came over, sitting next to Harry, and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let's talk about something fun."  
  
Of all the people Harry enjoyed being with most, Hermione was on top of the list. She was also one of the only ones to notice a change in Harry over the summer. Sure, before he'd been slightly depressing - after a life like his, who wouldn't be? - but never had he simply sat at a window all day, staring like he'd never seen the flowers in the bed.  
  
"Sure, like what?" Ron asked.  
  
"How about Qudditch?" She winked. "I know you can't have forgotten it. What if Krum shows up and challenges the two of you to a match? You'd be in sorry condition."  
  
Harry was forced into a laugh. "Yeah right, Hermione. Krum, beat us? That'd never happen, even with Voldemort."  
  
Ron joined in. "So true, pal, so true!"  
  
Hermione smiled. "Go get your brooms. George and Fred will be around here somewhere; do teams of two-to-two. I'll watch. Or referee."  
  
Harry gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Hermione." He started to follow Ron out of the room but she stopped him. He gazed at her with a question in his eyes.  
  
"Oh, don't give me that look, Harry. Is it true you turned it down?"  
  
"Turned what down?"  
  
"Again, don't play dumb. The Head Boy thing, Harry. Why did you turn it down?"  
  
He sighed and turned away, looking down through the window at the garden, where Crookshanks was chasing gnomes. "I don't want to be Head Boy, that's all."  
  
"But why.?"  
  
"I want to be as normal as possible, that's why. Ever since I found out about Hogwarts and being a wizard and all, it's been one thing after another. I've always had to worry about Snape on my back, or Voldemort after my blood - literally - or something. But I don't have to anymore, Hermione. Voldemort's dead, Snape's finally over his vengeance thing, and no one else is on my case. I am going to have a normal year, and that does not include Head Boy duties." He gave a dry chuckle. "I'm sure Justin will do it admirably."  
  
"But not as good as you!"  
  
"That's my final decision, Hermione. For once in my life, I want to be just another teenage British wizard. Not 'the Boy who Lived', not Head Boy, nothing. Just Harry, wizard boy."  
  
Hermione nodded, her lips pursed. "All right, I can see where you're coming from. But you just haven't been yourself.nevermind. I'm sorry."  
  
"There's nothing to be sorry for." He turned back to her and gave a weak grin. "We'd better go on, or else Ron'll be thinking we've gotten lost or."  
  
"Okay, let's go!" Hermione said, overly loud. She raced after Ron.  
  
Harry grinned. "That's normal." He turned to look back down into the garden, where the Weaslys and Hermione were gathering for the promised Quidditch match. Truth was, Hermione had been right about him not acting like usual. Ever since the Final Battle, he hadn't been himself. He felt something within himself had changed. But what?  
  
He rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself. "Shut up Harry. Just go on with life." He grabbed his Firebolt and went to join the others.  
  
A/N: So what did you think, neh? Tell me, tell me, tell me! Bye for now! 


End file.
